Month: August 2015

“As a mixed-race American with international roots, my travels have often been about reconnecting with my heritage and exploring my intertwined cultural identities. Traveling to India, and especially Kolkata, has helped me understand so many things about my relationships, quirks, anxieties, styles, and propensities. It has also been the source of inspiration for most of my creative projects… In India, my senses are overwhelmed by highly saturated colors, smells, and sounds. When I stay at my family’s house in northern Kolkata, I wake up every morning to the sounds of water being pumped up to the roof of the house; birds cawing salutations to one another; unidentifiable bells; street vendors selling sugar cane juice, sweets, and plastic buckets; Bengali bickering; various conch shells calling the Gods into the houses; my aunties gossiping with each other through the windows; the extremely loud and incredibly close neighbors; the donkey-like screech of rickshaw horns; the barking of territorial street dogs; and the call of the garbage man going around on his bike-pulled carriage screaming, in a somewhat melodic …

“Where are you headed next?” “Luxembourg!” “Oh cool…silly question, where is that again? Switzerland?” “No, but close, there’s a “Little Switzerland” in Luxembourg!” “Wait, I thought Luxembourg was a capital city in another country?” “Yeah, Luxembourg City IS the capital of Luxembourg!” “Oh jeez, get out of here before you drive me nuts!” “Haha, love ya!” Typical conversations that surrounded my recent trip to Luxembourg always seemed to either begin and end in a cloud of confusion as to where Luxembourg is, or garner disbelief as to how I spent an entire weekend there without electing to hop over to popular neighboring cities like Brussels, Paris and Cologne. However, during my summer in London, I decided to zip over and find out what the local sensibility of this city full of drifters is, with 60% of its population being expats and having 170,000 people commute back and forth each day. Outside of having well-paid jobs particularly in the EU and financial sectors, what is the draw to life in Luxembourg City? Upon arrival, I quickly …

“I’m the children’s book author of DLee’s World preschool learning books, which are based on my childhood and experiences as an educator. Throughout my life, there have been a few things that inspired me to write my book series. Most importantly was the fact that I struggled with literacy until about the age of nine. My father noticed I had an issue with reading and comprehension and sat me down night after night with the determination for me not to follow in his footsteps of educational hardships. As early as I could remember, I showed a disinterest in books, always saying, “Books are boring!” However shortly after learning how to read, I found books to be an enjoyable learning tool and past time. With that in mind, once I became a teacher and noticed that I did not always have the books I needed or wanted to teach a particular objective, I decided to write my own… Every night I analyzed my classroom experiences and my own childhood for inspiration on how to make DLee …

“My apartment had always felt sacred to me, cleansed with sage, and my sanctuary of safety, it accepted me, it mirrored me, and whenever the world knocked me down, I knew it greeted me with a big hug. I guarded the door of that place not letting just anyone in. So, handing my sublet my keys to my fully furnished apartment knowing she would be treating it like her own for the next 6 months felt super personal to me…But I did it. The former months had been in a word, tumultuous. I felt loss to myself. I’d been out of work and felt directionless and almost relentlessly I looked for answers outside myself, in the opinion and experiences of others. I was looking for something that I couldn’t seem to find. I desperately needed/wanted community and support but was experiencing mine dissipate. I felt lost and afraid, surrounded by people socially but all alone intimately. Feeling unsure of myself, and having a heightened fear of making a “wrong” life decision that would “ruin” my …

“My favorite travel adventure was my destination wedding to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in May 2006. The weather was perfect. There were 35 of my closest friends and family, and my wife looked incredible. We got married on the beach, and the ceremony and reception were amazing. It was the best wedding I’ve ever been to, and I’m not just saying that because it was mine! Being in Punta Cana for two weeks was also like having a series of mini vacations with friends because everyone stayed for different durations. The whole experience was simply perfect… That travel event influenced my life professionally, too. In September 2011, I saw an HGTV episode in which they were in a family’s basement covering the wall with big, beautiful photo collage wallpaper, and I wanted to similarly display my amazing wedding photos. However, there was no way for me to replicate what I saw on TV, so I created a business that would let me do so. I called it WeMontage and it’s the world’s only way to …

“South Africa changed my life. I had the incredible privilege to travel to Cape Town, South Africa for my International Public Service Project while attending the Clinton School of Public Service in 2009. I had always wanted to visit South Africa ever since I was a child who accompanied my mother on a freedom march in the late 80’s chanting, “Free Mandela, Jail Botha.” I was fascinated by the hundreds of people marching in support of Mandela – a man who lived clear across the world. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but my mother explained it in full detail the day he was released from prison. I remember that moment just like yesterday… As the daughter of activist parents, social justice issues have always intrigued me. When I got the chance, I wanted to explore the similarities and differences between the impact of apartheid in South Africa and the United States. I was chilled to the bone getting a glimpse into post apartheid South Africa, and even more so to recognize the …

“Cartagena and Paris. They’re completely two different cities but yet they both have some of the most amazing architecture and history. It’s the perfect juxtaposition… These two places would describe me as an individual. Cartagena is the feel-good place where the vibe and colorful culture sucks you in. Whereas Paris is the sophistication and mystery that keeps you mesmerized…” – Mel C. 062/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

“No matter where I go in the world – I can always find members of my “tribe” – and vice versa. Therefore strangers quickly turn into tribesmen and tribeswomen as well as guides. I am very much like Tennessee Williams’ Blanche DuBois when I travel – I have always relied on the kindness of strangers…” – Malcolm Harris-Perez // @curatorofcool 061/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project

“My first trip to the Grand Canyon was one of my most significant. Maybe I just didn’t expect to be so impressed by anything in middle-America, or maybe I hadn’t quite given enough thought to why it was called “Grand” but that first peak over the canyon was a genuine surprise… It was a last minute trip during my last semester in Grad school, and I had just come back from Rio & São Paulo, so I wasn’t expecting the American road trip to be particularly impressive, but I was more awed in my five days in Arizona than I was in over a week in Brazil. I felt very connected to the earth, and experienced a veritable sadness because it felt like we were standing on stolen land. The native inhabitants of the continent had/have a lot of respect for nature, and there is a reservation right outside the national park, which only added to the sense of sorrow… I became very aware that we are all just visitors on this earth, regardless of …